Cognitive rehabilitation in epilepsy: An evidence-based review

Abstract

Aim of the study: To review the modalities of cognitive rehabilitation (CR), outcome endpoints, and the levels of evidence of efficacy of different interventions.

Methods: A systematic research in Pubmed, Psychinfo, and SCOPUS was performed assessing the articles written in the entire period covered by these databases till December 2013. Articles in English, Spanish or French were evaluated. A manual research evaluated the references of all of the articles. The experimental studies were classified according to the level of evidence of efficacy, using a standardized Italian method (SPREAD, 2007), adopting the criteria reported by Cicerone et al. (2000, 2011).

Results: Eighteen papers were classified into two reviews, four papers dealing with the principles and efficacy of CR in epilepsy, a methodological paper, a single-case report, a multiple-case report, and nine experimental papers. Most studies involved patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Different types of CR were used to treat patients with epilepsy. A holistic rehabilitation approach was more useful than selective interventions to treat memory and attention disturbances.

Conclusions: CR may be a useful tool to treat cognitive impairment in patients with epilepsy. However, the modalities of treatment and outcome endpoints are important concerns of clinical care and research. Controlled studies are needed to determine the efficacy of rehabilitation in well-defined groups of patients with epilepsy.

Keywords: Cognitive deficits; Cognitive rehabilitation; Epilepsy; Memory; Temporal lobe.